Cavs: 3 players Ricky Rubio could have good chemistry with from jump

3 Cavs that could have a good chemistry with Rubio from the jump: Collin Sexton

Thirdly, I could see Rubio and Collin Sexton having a quality connection in stretches right away.

Sexton has been a key Cavs player mentioned in trade rumors this offseason, but he stuck around through the draft and it’s appearing less likely that he could be dealt. We’ll see with him potentially set to hit restricted free agency next offseason, and maybe he could be a deadline piece.

Sexton could very well stick around and could perhaps be with the Cavaliers for the long haul, though, and at least with next season in mind, in stretches when Darius Garland gets a breather, Rubio could form a good two-man game with Sexton as well.

The talented young guard had 24.3 points per contest last season, and his off-ball feel improved last season. Taking that into account, I could foresee Rubio looking to feed Sexton coming around screens, where he has shown progress as a shooter, and Rubio could lead him into in-rhythm pull-ups from there. Now, one would like to see Sexton get some more three-point looks too, as an aside.

That’s where I’d expect Sexton to be able to take advantage as a quality weak side option for Rubio to go to. Regarding those looks, Sexton knocked in 40.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot triple attempts last season, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data.

So I’d look to see that be a solid wrinkle for Rubio to hit Sexton on in-rhythm, and with rollers such as Jarrett Allen and Mobley, those looks could be there from time to time in spurts with Sexton with Ricky.

Plus, with Sexton showing encouraging signs as a cutter last season and some in the later stages of 2019-20, I would anticipate Rubio to look for him with some needle-threading deliveries in set situations and/or some in transition with Sexton’s speed.